Heart to Heart
by Heavenly Pearl
Summary: Ken has never had the courage to confess his feelings for Sora, but when he experiences a medical setback, he realizes life is too short to live in fear of a broken heart.


Heart to Heart

After another incredible performance of _Swan Lake_, Ken knocked on the door to Sora's dressing room, shifting the expensive-looking bouquet of white roses he carried to his other arm.

It didn't take long for her to answer. She was still in costume, although her face was bare of the cosmetics she had worn on stage. As gorgeous as Sora had looked with it on, Ken thought she looked even prettier in her natural state.

"Hey, Ken," she said, greeting him with a bright smile as she stepped aside so that he could bring the flower arrangement inside. "More flowers? They're beautiful!"

_Not as beautiful as you,_ he thought, but didn't say aloud. "You certainly are popular these days," Ken said instead. "We can barely keep up with the ticket sales. Tonight was another sold-out performance." He nodded his head toward her vanity. "Is over there okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks!"

Ken set the flowers on the vanity's countertop, Sora walking over to take a look at the placard nestled amongst the roses. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she read the message written on the card.

"Who are they from?" he couldn't resist asking, a hand gripping the front of his T-shirt. "A secret admirer?"

Sora laughed. "Don't be silly, Ken. They're just from a fan." She placed the card back where she found it. "I still can't quite get used to all this attention, though," she admitted with a sigh. "I even get a few marriage proposals."

"You do?"

"Isn't it crazy?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, it's flattering in a way, I guess, but it's not like they really know me. I wonder if Miss Layla ever received marriage proposals from her fans…"

"Apparently, quite a few."

"I'm not surprised. After all, Miss Layla is so beautiful and talented. Anybody would fall in love with her. I pale in comparison."

"I-I don't think so. I think you're just as pretty and talented as Miss Layla, Sora."

The words were out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think, his cheeks warming in embarrassment. Sora didn't seem to notice, though, her face breaking out into a smile.

"Aw, you're always so sweet, Ken."

Ken let out a sigh. That was the problem. No matter how many times he attempted to flirt with her, Sora never seemed to pick up on the fact that he liked her as more than just a friend.

"I really mean it," he said, clenching his hands into fists at his side as he built up his courage. "In fact, I, uh… I, uh…"

His voice trailed off as Ken started feeling woozy and lightheaded, throwing one of his hands out to grab onto Sora's vanity to prevent himself from falling, in the process accidentally knocking over Sora's flowers. The glass vase shattered upon hitting the floor, roses and water splattering everywhere.

_No, not again…_ It wasn't the first time it had happened over the last couple of days, but it was by far the strongest of the dizzy spells.

"Ken, is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I feel kind of strange."

"Here, sit down. Be careful of the glass." Sora pulled her chair out from the vanity and helped Ken take a seat. "I'll get you some water. Wait here."

She rushed out of the room, Ken holding his head. Sitting down had helped alleviate the symptoms some, but he still didn't feel very well. Though he had passed the earlier spells off as simple anemia, it was becoming harder and harder to convince himself that's all it was.

Sora returned a short time later. Kneeling down in front of him, she placed a paper cup filled with water in his hands. "Drink this."

He managed a wan smile. "Thanks."

Ken started to bring the cup to his lips when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. With a shuddered breath, he dropped the cup, its contents joining those from the broken vase, and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Oh my God, Ken! I'm calling 9-1-1…"

The last thing Ken remembered hearing was Sora explaining to the operator what had happened before the world went black.

* * *

_Please, let him be okay. Please, let him be okay. Please let him be okay…_

Sora paced the waiting room floor, unable to sit still. Ken's parents and little sister Lucy had arrived at the hospital about ten minutes ago, but Ken was still being examined by the doctors, nobody able to tell them anything as of yet. The more time passed without word, the more Sora feared what the outcome would be, her usual optimism failing her when she needed it the most.

Not even the arrival of Mia and Anna a few minutes later could cheer her up.

"Hey, Sora, we came as fast as we could," Mia said, giving her a hug. "How is he?"

"We, um, haven't really heard anything yet." Sora sniffled, swiping a hand across her cheek to wipe away a couple of tears. "They're still running tests."

"Do you think it was his heart?" Anna asked. For once, fangirl Lucy didn't make a fuss over her, barely even acknowledging Anna's presence other than giving her a small, sad wave before burying her face back in her mother's chest.

"Probably. He was feeling dizzy and having chest pains."

"I can't believe this is happening!" Anna clenched her right hand into a fist at her side, banging it against the wall behind her. "He seemed perfectly fine the last time I saw him."

"I know," Mia said. "I thought so, too. I know Ken had heart problems in the past, but I thought he was okay now. This is so out of the blue."

"Yeah…" Sighing, Sora wrapped her arms around herself. For the first time, she noticed that Mia was carrying a bag. "What's that, Mia?"

"Oh!" Mia handed the canvas bag over. "I brought you a change of clothes."

Sora had forgotten that she was still dressing in her skimpy costume from the _Swan Lake_ finale, having been too concerned about Ken to think of changing. No wonder she had been garnering a lot of strange stares.

"Thanks. I'll go change."

She located a nearby restroom and locked herself in one of the stalls, changing out of the costume and into the T-shirt and denim shorts Mia had brought. She then sat on the toilet and broke down, the tears she had been trying so hard to hold back flowing down her cheeks in rivers.

Ken was one of her best friends. If anything happened to him…

Sora shook her head, tearing off a long piece of toilet paper to wipe her face. She needed to stop thinking the worst and put her trust in the doctors. After all, they had saved her father when he had his own heart attack while visiting her, as well as her baby sister Yume when her mother had gone into premature labor.

They would save him. She had to believe that.

After splashing some cold water on her face, Sora headed back to the waiting room, where she found Dr. Kate talking with Ken's family.

"How is Ken?" she asked, joining them. She didn't care if she was being rude – she had to know. "Is he going to be okay?"

"As I was just telling Mr. and Mrs. Robbins, Ken is currently in stable condition," Dr. Kate informed her, Sora breathing a sigh of relief. "It was not a heart attack, as we originally thought, but preliminary tests show that his heart valve is significantly damaged."

"But Ken has always been so careful about his condition," his father Ben said. "We were told as long as he avoided over-exerting himself too much, he would be fine."

"I'm afraid I don't know what caused the damage, Mr. Robbins. You'll have to talk to Ken's cardiologist for more information as I'm not familiar with his case, but I do believe the valve will have to be replaced."

Ken's mother gasped. "Surgery?" She reached for her husband's hand. "Oh, Ben…"

Sora brought a hand to her mouth, stepping back from the group. Dr. Kate continued going over the details with Ken's family, but her words were all gibberish in Sora's ears. She collapsed in a nearby chair, Mia and Anna coming over to join her.

"Sora, what is it?" Anna asked, sitting in the chair on her right. Mia had taken the one on the other side of her, wrapping a comforting arm around Sora's shoulders. "Is Ken okay? What did Dr. Kate say?"

"For now… For now, he's in stable condition," Sora forced herself to say, fingernails digging into her thighs, "but, um, he needs surgery to fix his, uh, his…" She wracked her brain for the right word but couldn't remember the technical term, despite hearing it only a couple of moments ago. "You know, his heart," she said, settling on a more general explanation.

"Oh, Sora…"

Mia pulled her closer, giving her a hug just as Sora's cell phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Though the last thing she felt like doing was talking to anybody, she took a look at the caller ID.

It was Kalos.

"I should probably take this," she said, standing back up. He probably wanted an update on Ken's condition, too. "I'll be back in a minute."

Sora headed out to the hall and answered the call.

"Where the hell are you, Sora?" Kalos's voice boomed on the other end of the line. "The interviewer has been waiting for over fifteen minutes."

"W-What? Interviewer?"

"The piece for the Channel 6 news? You and Leon are supposed to talk about the five hundredth performance of _Swan Lake_ coming up next week."

"Oh, right." Sora rubbed at her forehead. She had completely forgotten about it. "Um, can't Leon handle that on his own? I'm still at the hospital with Ken, and –"

"Oh, right, how is Ken doing?"

"Well, he's in stable condition right now, but –"

"If he's not in immediate danger, then you can spare a few moments to speak to the press, Sora," Kalos said, once again cutting her off. "This is an important interview. You're the star of the show, and I expect to see you back here in ten minutes and not a second more. Got it?"

Her shoulders slumped. "Yes, Boss. I'll be there."

Ending the call, Sora glared at the phone at her hand and mentally called Kalos some names using the type of language that almost never crossed her lips. Sometimes she wondered if that man even had a heart.

Well, there was nothing she could do about it now but finish the interview as quick as possible and come back as soon as she was able…

* * *

_Surgery._

Ken blankly stared out the window of his hospital room, that one word playing over and over in his head like a broken record. His doctors had left after breaking the news to him, his family soon after when he asked for some time alone to process things.

He had done everything right. He ate well, took his medication every day, avoided stress and over-exerting himself as much as possible… He'd even given up on his childhood dream to become a Kaleido Star, contenting himself with working backstage as a manager and trainer, yet none of that seemed to matter in the end. His heart had still betrayed him.

"Damn it," Ken uncharacteristically cursed, his eyes welling with tears. He balled his hands into tight fists, his fingernails digging into the flesh of his palm.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Despite his melancholic mood, Ken perked up a little when he heard it, certain that it had to be Sora. He used the blanket to wipe away a few stray tears that had managed to escape down his cheeks, not wanting to worry her more than she probably already was, then told whoever it was to come in.

Some of his excitement faded when the door opened to reveal the identity of his visitor.

"Oh, hi, Mia."

"That's a nice greeting," she said as she entered the room, setting a bouquet of tulips on the bedside table. "Thought I was Sora?"

He blushed. Was it that obvious? "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Of course I'm glad to see you."

"Nope, you were hoping I was Sora." Mia smiled, not taking any offense at all. She grabbed the empty vase provided and went to the attached bathroom to fill it with water. "That's okay, though. I understand," she said over the sound of the running faucet. "How are you feeling? You gave us quite a scare."

"Okay, I guess, considering." Ken looked down at his hands, playing with a loose piece of thread on the blanket. "So, um, is Sora with you?"

Mia let out a laugh upon returning to the main room. "I knew it! But, no, she isn't. Sora had to leave to do an interview with Leon for one of the local TV stations about the upcoming 500th show. She tried to get out of it, but you know how Kalos is… She promised to come back later, though. She's been really worried about you."

"Oh."

Right. He had forgotten that interview was today. No Kaleido Stage show had continually run as long as _Swan Lake_ – not even Layla Hamilton's and Yuri Killian's _Romeo & Juliet_, which had held the previous record – so Kalos was making a huge deal about it, drumming up as much interest as possible. Personally, Ken didn't think all the publicity was necessary since ticket sales were still going strong, but it came with Sora's role as the star of the show.

"Anna's here, too," Mia continued, arranging the tulips in the vase, "but it seems like some of the nurses that work here are Anna fangirls. They've got her signing autographs… Uh, Ken?"

A hand waved in front of his face.

"Earth to Ken!"

"What?" He blinked, unaware that he had spaced out for a moment. "Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"

A frown crossed Mia's lips. "You should tell her, you know."

"Tell her what?" There was no need to clarify who the "her" in question was.

"That you love her," Mia said. "It's already been over two years since you met, after all. If you don't try to stake a claim soon, somebody else might swoop in and sweep Sora off her feet."

He was aware of that, perhaps better than anyone. He placated himself with the thought that Sora was focused on her career, that the stage was her current love, leaving no time in her life for romance, but he knew that Sora dreamed of falling in love. Ken still remembered the adorable blush that had colored her cheeks when she had caught the bouquet at Dr. Kate and Jerry's wedding last spring, insisting that she was much too young to get married but that it would be nice "one day".

Ken sighed. For him, "one day" might never come.

"Maybe it would be better if somebody did…" he said, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice.

"What are you saying? You're giving up on her?"

"Sora deserves to be with somebody strong and healthy, someone who will always be there for her."

Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, Mia reached for his hand. "Ken… You sound like you're almost expecting to die."

"It's not out of the realm of possibility." The doctors had gone over the list of possible complications that might occur when they had talked to him earlier. "Surgery always carries a risk, and even if it is successful, the long-term survival rate –"

"So just because you have a weak heart, you don't deserve to be with the one you love? That's ridiculous!" Mia exclaimed. "Sora performs dangerous, death-defying stunts every day. If circumstances were different, would you reject Sora just because she might one day make a mistake on the trapeze and fall to her death?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then your health is not an excuse."

"But –"

Mia jumped up from the bed, hand on her hip as she wagged a finger at him. "No 'buts'! It's time you stop being such a coward and confess to her. Let Sora decide if she wants to be with you instead of making the decision for her before she even gets a chance to have a say."

"M-Maybe you're right," Ken said, realizing Mia had a point.

"Of course I am! So, you'll do it?"

"I…"

"Ken, come on!"

"Not before the surgery." He didn't want to manipulate Sora into saying something she didn't really mean because she felt sorry for him – or worse, burden her with the knowledge of his feelings if complications did arise and he didn't make it. If that happened, he wanted her to mourn him as a friend and nothing more. "But if the surgery goes okay…" Ken inhaled a deep breath. "I'll tell Sora I love her," he promised.

After all, what did he have to lose but another broken heart?

* * *

Sora hurried back to the hospital as soon as she finished the interview with Channel 6, only making a quick stop at the dorms to pick up a gift for Ken. She had tried her best to be her usual positive, cheerful self for the cameras, but she wasn't sure she managed to pull it off, her mind elsewhere. Even Leon – Leon, of all people! – had expressed concern for her afterwards, giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder and telling her that he hoped Ken would be okay.

When she arrived, she got Ken's room number from Mia and Anna, who were leaving. They told her his family had gone down to the cafeteria to eat, so it was a good time to visit.

Knocking on the door to Room 321, Sora frowned when she didn't receive an answer. Perhaps Ken had been taken somewhere for more testing? She turned the doorknob, cracking the door wide enough to peek inside.

Ken was asleep, the room quiet save for the soft hums and beeps of the machines hooked up to him.

Sora debated leaving, not wanting to disturb him when he was resting after such an eventful day, but something compelled her to enter. As quietly as she could, she made her way to his bedside.

Her eyes watered at the sight of him looking so pale and vulnerable. "Oh, Ken…" she whispered, struggling to hold back her tears.

It wasn't fair. Ken had one of the biggest hearts she knew, so kind and helpful and supportive… How could it be that his physical heart had failed him?

Brushing his bangs off his face, Sora jumped and yanked her hand away when she noticed Ken's eyes fluttering open. Her heart pounded against her chest.

"Sora?"

"Oh, um, hi!" Sora's cheeks burned. "Sorry for waking you."

"That's okay. I was only taking a nap," he said with a small yawn, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "There's not much else to do around here."

"That's good. I-I mean, of course it's not good, but –" Why was she getting so flustered all of a sudden? Sora took a moment to calm herself, inhaling a deep breath before placing a bag on his lap. "Here. I thought you might get bored, so I brought you something."

"What is it?" He peered inside the bag in curiosity, pulling out a couple of books with colorful covers.

"They're kind of old," Sora said, rubbing the back of her neck, "but those manga volumes are bilingual versions. I read them back when I was trying to learn English, so I thought maybe you could use them to help with your Japanese."

For fun in his spare time, Ken had been taking an online course for the past year or so to learn her native language. He was far from fluent, but he was good enough to the point that they could now hold simple conversations in Japanese.

"Wow…" Ken flipped through the pages of one of the books, his eyes lighting up. "This is really cool, Sora. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself. "So, um…"

"You already know, don't you?"

He let out a heavy sigh when Sora nodded.

"They've scheduled the surgery for tomorrow morning," he said.

"That soon?"

"Yeah. The doctors say that the sooner I get the valve replaced, the better."

"That's good, right?" she asked.

"I guess."

"Then you'll be healthy?"

"Well, I'll be alive," Ken said, letting out a weak chuckle. "At least that's the goal."

If that was his sad attempt at a joke, Sora didn't find it the least bit funny. Ken seemed to realize it, setting the manga aside and staring down at his blanket.

"Sorry. I'm in a weird mood."

"It's okay." Sora took a seat on the edge of his bed, hesitantly reaching for his hand. "Are you scared?"

That was a stupid question. She realized it the moment the words left her mouth. Ken was having major surgery in the morning; of course he was scared.

Still, he answered.

"Out of my mind," he admitted, giving Sora's hand a squeeze. "I've never been more frightened in my entire life."

More than anything, Sora wished she could assure Ken that everything was going to be fine, that he had nothing to worry about, but it didn't feel right to make light of his legitimate fears like that when there was no guarantee. For once, she wished Fool was around to perform his silly fortune-telling. The Spirit of the Stage was nowhere in sight, however, probably hiding in her bathroom, waiting for her to take a bath.

"You have great doctors," she said instead, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "You're in good hands, and I'm sure they'll do everything they can to help you get better."

"Yeah…"

Ken withdrew his hand from her grasp, curling his fingers into a fist. "Hey, um, after the surgery," he said, his Adam's apple bobbing as he visibly swallowed, "there's something I want to tell you, Sora. Something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time."

"What is it?" Sora asked. "Can't you tell me now?"

He shook his head. "It wouldn't be fair to you. Just, um –"

A soft knock interrupted him, Ken's mother opening the door and poking her head inside. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize Sora was here," she said. "I'll come back later."

"No, you don't have to leave, Mrs. Robbins," Sora said, sliding off the bed. "I-I was about to go, anyway."

She didn't really want to, but she couldn't be selfish. Ken's family deserved to spend time with him, too; she didn't want to intrude.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sora promised, glad that performances had been shut down for the week so that the set builders could remodel the stage for the historic 500th show. She gave Ken a gentle hug, mindful of the tubes and wires attached to him. "Be brave, and try not to worry so much, okay? Everybody at Kaleido Stage will be pulling for you."

"Thanks, Sora," Ken said.

* * *

Sora stared up at the clock on the wall directly across from her for what felt like the hundredth time. 10:23 – only two minutes later than the last time she had checked. Thinking there must be something wrong with the clock, she pulled out her cell, but the display showed the same, corroborating the time.

She snapped her phone close and sighed, stuffing it back in her pocket. Ken had been in surgery for almost an hour and a half. The doctors said that if all went well, they would finish in around two hours. No news was probably good news, but the wait was becoming unbearable.

It didn't help matters that she had asked Fool to read Ken's fortune before she left for the hospital, only for him to give her some vague platitude.

Jumping up, Sora decided to go find the vending machines. She wasn't very hungry despite having skipped breakfast that morning because of her nerves, but she needed to do _something_ besides sitting around and waiting for any news. Mia, who had been reading, set her book aside and followed after her, neither of them saying anything until they reached the machines.

"How are you holding up?" Mia asked, punching the button for a Sprite.

Pretending to be preoccupied with selecting a candy bar, she shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

A complete and utter lie, and Mia knew it.

"No, you're not."

Sora sighed, hitting a couple of buttons at random. A bag of Skittles fell from its slot and into the bin below. "Fine, I'm a nervous wreck," she admitted, grabbing her candy. "I know Ken's in good hands and his doctors aren't expecting any complications with the surgery, b-but…"

Her eyes welled up, breaking the promise she had made to herself not to cry.

"Oh, Sora…"

Mia pulled Sora into a tight hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she let out a sob. "It's going to be okay," Mia murmured into her hair. "Even with a weak heart, Ken's a lot stronger than you think he is."

"But what if he's not okay?" she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric of Mia's cardigan. "I-I can't lose Ken. I…I…"

"You love him, don't you?"

"W-What?" Sora pulled back from Mia's embrace, sniffling as she used her hands to wipe away the tears that had run down her cheeks. "Ken's one of my best friends – of course I love him."

"I'm not talking about that kind of love." Mia smiled softly, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket. "The love you feel for him… It's a little different than what you feel for me or Anna, isn't it?"

Sora brought her hands to her sides, allowing Mia to take over the cleaning of her tear-streaked face. She'd never really given it much thought before, but somewhere along the line, her feelings for Ken had changed into something she had never quite felt before. It was similar to the fangirl crushes she used to have on Yuri and Layla, yet… "I-I love him?"

"Seriously, Sora, sometimes you can be just so oblivious," Mia said with a chuckle.

"But, how…?"

"I'm a writer. It's my job to notice these sorts of things." Mia finished wiping Sora's face, stuffing her handkerchief back in her pocket before grabbing her forgotten Sprite bottle from the vending machine bin. "I'm glad, though," she said after taking a sip. "Now Ken won't have to experience another broken heart."

"What do you mean, Mia?"

Before Mia could answer, Anna came charging down the hallway at top speed, skidding to a stop when she found them. She leaned against one of the vending machines, her breathing heavy.

"Anna, what's going on?" Mia asked. "You shouldn't be running around a hospital like that! Do you need a drink?"

She nodded, accepting the bottle Mia offered and taking a large swig. "It's Ken," Anna said, swiping her sleeve over her mouth when she finished. "His doctors just came out to talk with his family."

"And?" Sora prodded, her heartbeat racing. A quick glance at a nearby clock revealed that it hadn't even been two hours yet. She wasn't sure if that was good news or bad. "Is he okay? How did the surgery go?"

Anna grinned. "It went really well! There were no complications, and Ken's doctors think he'll be fine."

Sora released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Really? He's going to be okay?"

"Yeah. He's still in recovery at the moment, but once he's more awake, they'll move him into the ICU for a few days. Only family will be allowed to visit him for now."

"Oh. Right." She'd forgotten that part.

Mia placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Maybe we can ask Dr. Kate to help you sneak in?"

Sora shook her head. As tempting as that idea was, and as much as she wanted to see Ken with her own two eyes, to assure herself that he really was alive and well, she didn't want to get Dr. Kate in any trouble. Besides, if she saw him now, Sora had a feeling she would be nothing more than a blubbering mess.

"No, I can wait to see him," she said. "I'm just happy to know that he's going to be okay."

"If you say so…"

"In the meantime, we should start planning his 'Welcome Back' party," Anna suggested as they began making their way back to the waiting room, Sora trailing after them. "I can prepare a new comedy routine –"

"Hey, are you planning to put Ken back in the hospital?" Mia teased, playfully slapping Anna's arm. "I think it'll be a while before he can return to Kaleido Stage, anyway. He just had major surgery."

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared. We can ask May to make some food, and Sarah can handle the decorations…"

* * *

It wasn't until the third day after surgery that Ken was transferred to a room in the surgical unit of the hospital.

He continued to get stronger by the day, able to eat solid foods and even walk around a little with some assistance. The pain was still bad, but not anywhere near as much as the first day post-surgery. His doctors were pleased with his progress. If all went well, Ken would be able to return home by the end of the week.

_Home._ Ken still had several more weeks of recovery before he would be able to resume normal activity, but he couldn't wait to be back in his own room, to sleep in his own comfy bed, free of IVs and catheters and whatever other tubes and wires they had stuck to him.

At least now that he was out of the ICU, he was allowed non-family visitors again. Every time he heard a knock on the door, he jumped, hoping – yet also dreading – that it was Sora.

The one good thing about being bored out of his mind and stuck in a hospital bed with little to occupy his time besides boring TV shows and the manga Sora had given him was that he had plenty of time to think over what he would say to Sora when he saw her again. She never seemed to take a hint whenever he tried to confess to her before, so Ken decided the best plan of action was to be honest and direct, leaving no room for ambiguity or misunderstanding. He would tell her he loved her and ask her to be his girlfriend.

Now he just had to find the courage to go through with it…

"Ken!"

Ken jumped again when the door flew open, only to let out a heavy sigh when he saw it was his little sister, Lucy. His mother, sitting in the chair at his bedside, looked up from the baby blanket she was knitting for one of his cousins and frowned.

"Lucy Robbins, this is a hospital, not a playground," she scolded. "Don't shout like that. Your brother is trying to rest."

"Sorry," Lucy said in a loud whisper, walking over to the other side his bed and planting her elbows on the mattress. "Is he still brooding because Sora hasn't shown up yet?"

"I'm not brooding!" Ken exclaimed.

"Oh, you've definitely been brooding, sweetie," his mother said, reaching over to pat his knee under the blanket.

Lucy nodded in agreement. "Very broody."

"No, I am no—" He sighed again, realizing that it was pointless to try to argue with them. "What makes you think I'm waiting for Sora to visit anyway?"

"Oh, puh-lease!" His sister rolled her eyes. "We all know you've got the hots for her."

"Have the hots for?" Proving her point, Ken felt his cheeks start to warm, even as he wondered what they were teaching kids in school nowadays. "Do you even know what that means, Lulu?"

"Of course I do! It means you want to hold her, and kiss her, and –"

He was spared hearing any more by another knock on the door, interrupting Lucy mid-sentence. Assuming it was just a nurse to take his vitals, Ken told whoever it was to come in.

It was just his luck that Sora herself opened the door, holding onto a bunch of colorful balloons with one hand and carrying a cute plush seal in her other arm. "Hi!" she said. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" His mother gathered her knitting supplies, tossing them into the canvas bag she had brought with her, and stood from her chair. "Lucy and I were just on our way down to the cafeteria."

"But, Mama, I'm not hun—"

She grabbed Lucy by the wrist and pulled her toward the door. "We'll see you later! Nice to see you again, Sora."

Ken slapped a hand to his forehead as the door closed behind them. Fortunately, Sora didn't seem to think anything strange about their abrupt and unsubtle exit.

"Hi," she said again after they left, coming closer toward his bed.

"H-Hi," he echoed, staring at her.

He noticed that Sora was wearing dressier clothes than usual. Rather than her usual sporty attire, she wore a blue-and-white polka-dotted sundress with just the barest hint of make-up on her face.

"Oh, um, we held a press conference earlier at Kaleido Stage to talk about the 500th show," she explained, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "That's why I wasn't able to make it earlier. I came as soon as the conference wrapped up, so I didn't have time to change. Mia and Sarah picked out the dress… It doesn't really suit me, does it?"

"N-No, it does," he assured her. "You look beau—nice, I mean. You look really nice."

Inwardly, Ken groaned at the feeble compliment. _Nice?_ He was about to tell Sora he loved her, and that was the best he could come up with? Sora didn't seem to mind, however, giving him a soft smile.

"Here, I brought these for you." She handed him the stuffed seal and the bunch of balloons, which were attached to a box-shaped weight with an envelope taped underneath it. "The seal reminded me of Jonathan. I think he's been missing you."

After setting the balloon weight on the bedside table, Ken took a closer look at the plush. It really did look a lot like Kaleido Stage's animal mascot. "I miss him, too…" he admitted. Looking after Jonathan was mostly Marion's unofficial job, but he often helped her with his feedings.

"How are you feeling?" Sora asked, taking a seat in the chair his mother had vacated. "Do you know when you can return to Kaleido Stage? Mia and Anna are already planning your 'welcome back' party."

He set the seal to the side. "I'm…doing better," he said. "They're having me walk around some, and if everything goes well, I might be able to go home later this week. Work, though…"

Optimistically, his doctors thought he might be able to resume normal activities in about six-to-eight weeks, but he would still need to ease himself back into things. There was no telling when he would be able to resume his usual duties at Kaleido Stage.

"Hey, you don't need to rush." She reached for his hand, giving it a light squeeze. "The most important thing is your health. Oh, that reminds me, you haven't read your card yet." Sora tore the envelope from the bottom of the balloon weight and handed it to him. "Everybody at Kaleido Stage signed it."

Ken opened the card, touched when he saw all the signatures. Sora hadn't lied when she said everybody had signed it; there were barely any blank spots visible, the inside covered with ink. Marion had even signed Jonathan's name for him, right next to hers.

"This is… I really appreciate it," he said in a soft voice, tracing his finger across Sora's signature. She had probably been one of the first – if not _the_ first – to sign it, since it was located right underneath the sweet, if generic, "get well" printed message. "Thanks."

He placed the card on the table beside the balloons, standing it up so that the rainbow image on front of the card was visible. When he turned his attention back to Sora, she had her hands in her lap, clutching the skirt of her cute dress.

"Is something wrong, Sora?" he asked, thinking she seemed rather…nervous.

If anybody had reason to be nervous, it was him. Strangely enough, now that she had finally come, Ken's previous jitters had almost disappeared. Every other time he had attempted to confess to Sora over the past couple of years, he'd been a bundle of nerves, but after what he had just gone through, telling Sora that he loved her seemed – well, maybe not _easy_, but nowhere near as scary in comparison.

"Um, when I visited the day before your surgery, you said you had something you wanted to tell me?" She phrased it more like a question

"Yeah, I did." Smiling, he patted a spot on the mattress. "Will you come sit up here?"

"O-Okay." Sora rose up from the chair and took a seat on the bed, facing him.

For a long moment, he didn't say anything, simply staring at her. God, she was beautiful – both inside and out. Never in his life had he met someone so wonderful, so full of dreams and passions – someone who seemed to glow with a light from within. Her success as a Kaleido Star had never surprised him. He had known from the day they met, when Sora had arrived late for her audition at Kaleido Stage, that there was something special about her, something that drew people to her, both on-and-off the stage.

"Ken?"

Inhaling a deep breath, Ken reached for both of Sora's hands. He could do this. All he had to do was say the words…

"_Aishiteru_, Sora."

Sora sucked in a sharp breath of her own, her pretty golden brown eyes widening. "Um, don't you mean '_Suki da'_?" she asked, a faint pink coloring her cheeks. "'_Aishiteru_' means…"

"…exactly what I meant to say." From the Japanese courses he had taken, he knew it was a phrase seldom used in Japan, even amongst couples who were deeply in love, but Ken had chosen that form on purpose, not wanting any ambiguity about how he felt about her. "I love you, Sora," Ken said, switching back to his native English. He brought his hand up to her face, caressing her cheek. "I'm _in_ love with you. I have been for a very long time, and nothing would make me happier than if you agreed to be my girlfriend."

Sora didn't say anything, staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite read.

His nerves returned full-force, Ken letting his hand drop from her face back down to his lap. He thought he had prepared himself for the possibility of rejection, but maybe it had been a mistake to let Mia talk him into this. What if he had ruined their friendship by confessing?

"If you don't feel the same, it's fine," he said, licking his suddenly dry lips. "Sorry. We can just forget I –"

"No, I don't want to forget," Sora said, interrupting. "I-I love you, too, Ken. I didn't realize how much until all this happened, but…" She placed her hand against his chest, his newly-repaired heart pounding. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you," she said in a strained voice. "So, so afraid…"

The brief euphoria he experienced at the words "I love you" coming from her lips faded when Ken saw Sora blinking back tears.

He covered her hand on his chest with his own. "Sora, even though I had this surgery… I'm never going to be a hundred percent healthy. Chances are, I'm probably not going to live a long life, so if you –"

"What are you saying? You're taking it back?" She looked up at him, wiping away a tear that had rolled down her cheek. "You don't want to date me anymore?"

He had no idea how to answer that. Of course he wanted to date her! If they weren't still teenagers and the idea wasn't so preposterous, he might have even proposed. Ken didn't need to date Sora to know that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her – as short as that life may be.

Yet…

Ken started to tell her once again to forget what he had said, that they should just continue being friends, but his words were muffled by Sora's lips pressing against his in a sweet, gentle kiss.

"Ken, you don't know the future," Sora said when she finally pulled back. "Medical advancements are made all the time. Why are you talking like you have some sort of death sentence hanging over you?"

"I –"

"Even if you did, though," she continued, bringing a finger to his mouth, "I don't care. As long as we can spend that life together…I will be happy."

He inhaled sharply. "Does that mean…?" he asked, almost unwilling to dare hope.

Sora nodded, smiling as she moved closer toward him, their foreheads touching. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend, Ken Robbins."

DISCLAIMER: "Kaleido Star" doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was written for Day 1: Blue (I went for the "sad, depressed" interpretation of the word, rather than the color!) of Kaleido Star Week 2020 over on Tumblr. I hope you enjoyed it!

Feel free to follow me on Tumblr! My username is kaleidodreams.


End file.
